car_chick

I have had problems using SG on metal, causing an irregularity to form in the finish. Almost like acid etching. Not often, but enough that I'm leary of using it on metals and painted finishes.

If you're brave, you can try soaking it in a 50/50 mix of liquid Murphys oil soap and water. Wait until leather is soaked, then try to stretch it. You will need to keep working it though. At the same time you will need to remove the degraded foam backing that was glued between the plastic frame and the leather. Unfortunately, the leather is probably dry-rotted and even though it is wet, the structural integrity of the leather fibers has been compromised and you will likely tear the leather.

Jeffn and I have both had the same kind of luck.

It is Jack Jerome. Small typo by Lou, but 'tis ok. His heart is in the right place. And you're right, you never know how long you have. This was beyond unexpected, but he went the best possible way; doing what he loved (hiking) with people he loved (myself, my niece and her hubby), he wasn't at work and he went fast (minutes). We should all be so lucky.

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts. My husband was the real TC afficcionado. Guido was his dream car. I was just the "support services". I've always been a gear head and have had more automotive knowledge than the average car owner, but most of my TC knowledge came via osmosis from my hubby.

It's really a 2 person job, as you will soon understand. Get under the car and loosen the bolts holding the brackets to the frame but don't remove them yet. Have the 2nd person hold the bumper up while you remove the bolts (or vice versa). The bumper then must be pulled straight back away from the car, being careful not to damage the slider brackets on the ends of the bumper plastic that wrap around the car. They can be a bit sticky and you may have to *carefully* wiggle them up and down just a little as you continue the rearward tension on the bumper. If you break them, or break where they attach to the bumper, you will need to replace the sliders or the ends of your bumper will flap in the wind as you drive. Check the slider brackets on your car, both where they bolt to the car and where they bolt to the bumper (it's a two piece gig on each end of the bumper) and see if you need to salvage the ones from the donor car. Reverse the process to install bumper, again a 2 person job.

Yes I've done it but it's not fun. Why don't you just shift the whole bumper over? You have to take the whole thing off to remove the cover anyways. That's how I'd do it, for several reasons. 1. It reduces the risk of breaking nearly 20 year old plastic. 2. That and by now, most of the nuts and connectors holding the cover on are rusted in place so you're going to spend an awful lot of time drilling out rusted bolts.

I would be interested. I'm close enough that I could drive up to pick up if the price is right. If you could snap a few pics, that would be great. How is the paint? Is the clear-coat peeling?

tcrider, I have a set if you need them. They're not the same because they are a unit that does both the trunk lid and tonneau. They are mirror images.

Larry, if you need a hardtop, let me know. Maybe we can work something out. Do you still need the seat switches? I have two that fully function, but only one with a base plate.

What does the current fluid look like? Red or brown? Does it smell burnt? Is the fluid at the proper level (check when warmed up)? Low fluid will cause those symptoms. I personally am not a fan of additives.

I have a ginger door handle escutcheon. Can use some touch-up paint, but they're not broken.

Oops, my misunderstanding. I thought the lady you were referring to was driving another vehicle that hit yours and they were at fault. Didn't read the original post.

David, by law, NC requires all drivers carry at the very least, liability insurance. Before you contact a lawyer, contact the lady and ask her for her insurance information. Get her full name, driver's license #, Insurance company name and policy number. Then contact them directly yourself. If she is at fault, her insurance has to pay for your car. If she won't cooperate, contact the police officer who worked the accident and ask if they have her insurance information. If he doesn't have the information, inform him that she is refusing to cooperate by providing you with the insurance information and ask him to pursue and possibly fine her for being an uninsured motorist. If neither of those pan out, contact YOUR insurance company and tell them to pursue it on your behalf. That is part of what your premiums pay for. If she doesn't have insurance, file an uninsured motorists claim with your company and then they will go after her civilly for the money they had to pay.

You should also check the plastic gear in the housing full of blue goop. If you're missing a tooth or two, it might mean the difference between the gear catching and working, and not.

It depends on how well the turbo was maintained. I had a Chrysler turbo last 230,000 with no problems and I've known others who have gone well over 100k. Some that have been abused didn't make it much past 50 or 60k. There are certain things you need to do with a turbo to keep it happy. Turbos get extremely hot (I think 1500 degrees?) and if you run them hard then shut the car off, the oil still inside the turbo "cokes up" and clogs the turbo leading to premature death. When you get to your destination, you should let the car idle (no engine revving)for about 30 seconds before turning the key off to let the oil drain out of the turbo so it doesn't cook. Regular oil changes are also very important. When they go, it's usually pretty obvious. Not just a loss of power, but a lot of smoke. Some of them can go pretty spectacularly.

I have two seat switches but only one with the backing plate. The switches worked in all directions before removing from car.

I would like to sell them as a set. Where are you located so I can get a reasonably accurate quote?

My sympathies to all...

Wish you were closer. I'm not going to cut mine up, but like Jeffn, I do wish I could find a buyer. One really good window, one cloudy, good headliner and solid roof with no cracks. *sigh*

I have a pair of ginger door panels out of an 89 I'm looking to sell. They don't have any tears or holes, just a little wear on the area where you pull the door closed. They could use a cleaning, too. They are rattling around in my garage, getting moved back and forth and I'm sure one of these days something will happen to them, which would be a shame. Since I'd rather have them go to a good home instead of getting ruined, I'm selling for $50 for the pair plus shipping. I will post pics this weekend.

I have looked high and low for mine. Can't find it. That being said, it's a standard Chrysler unit. Go to a junk yard and look at any late 80's LeBaron or Daytona and they should have one.

I don't have the ABS fuse box. Last one I had I think I sold to Lou? The last parts car was hit hard on the rt front so the wiring and vacuum lines on that corner were pretty torn up.

If you find yours cannot be reconnected to your car, I have one. It's tested and mirror moves in all directions. I'm sure your wife could easily tackle the job. I mean really, if a guy can do it, anyone can.